Maui: Travel Tips

Nicknamed the Valley Isle, Maui draws the most repeat visitors of all the islands. Gorgeous beaches, luxurious resorts, and charming towns abound. Drive through rain forests past tumbling waterfalls on scenic Hana Highway. Snorkel among tropical fish and dive the rich reef walls of Molokini. Glimpse the sunrise atop the Haleakala, and a bike ride down to a hearty Island breakfast of macadamia nut pancakes.

Javascript is required to view this map.

Getting To Maui

Like the other Hawaiian islands, Maui’s high seasons are from mid-December to early March and again from June to early September. From October to April, choppy water can make some unprotected beaches dangerous, but most are gorgeous year-round. Maui has the added benefit of being the best island for observing the annual humpback whale migration (December–April).

Mainland flight times

6 hours from Seattle, San Francisco, or Los Angeles

7.5 hours from Denver

11 hours from Newark

Inter-island flight times

Maui to Oahu: 34 minutes

Maui to Big Island: 31 minutes

Maui to Kauai: 43 minutes

Staying In Maui

It’s 11,000 feet from the top of Haleakala Crater down to Maui’s whale-filled seas—and you can experience them both in the same day on this compact island. Whether you’re drawn to shopping, nightlife, art galleries, beaches, golf, or spas at world-class resorts, Maui will charm you.

Must-see sights

Sunrise at Haleakala

The Road to Hana

Lahaina Town and Banyan Tree Square

Snorkeling off Molokini

Things to do

Watch championship windsurfers practice on Maui’s North Shore.

Take the ferry to nearby Lanai for a taste of Old Hawaii—it’s close enough to Maui for a fun day trip.

Traveling In Maui

Classic Vacations offers a variety of transportation options throughout the Islands in order to make your Hawaii vacation truly spectacular. While limousines are a fun and private way to see many of the sights on the Islands, shuttle transfers and rental cars are also available on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island.

While traveling in Maui we recommend:

Rent a car—Maui’s attractions are spread out and bus service is limited.

Things to Know

Currency

The US dollar is the currency of Hawaii, as it is throughout the United States.

ATMs are found everywhere in Hawaii.

Credit cards are accepted at most places, making it unnecessary to carry large amounts of cash.

Time Difference

Hawaii follows Hawaii Standard Time and does not observe daylight savings time.

When the clock is turned ahead on the mainland (March to November), Hawaii is six hours behind Eastern Daylight Time and three hours behind Pacific Daylight Time.

When clocks are turned back, Hawaii is five hours behind Eastern Standard Time, two hours behind Pacific Standard Time.